Quinoa Blondies

Oh the joys of changing our clocks ahead.  Why do we continue to do this?  Just to mess with our internal clocks?  I'm all messed up, when it is 4:00 is it really 5:00 and was it 6:00 or 3:00?  Am I really going to bed on time if I go to bed at 8:30 or is that really 7:30 or 9:30?  I just can't keep up.

The worst part about it is when there was light, now there is not.  When we drove to work last week we drove in the light.  This week we will be in the dark again, or at least dawn.  We are gaining about 7 minutes a day so we will be in light again after this week, but there isn't any reason to go messing with the clocks in this day and age.

So, after all the clock turmoil,  I needed a treat and something a little healthier than cookies...girl scout cookies are in and yes, I can eat a whole box of thin mints, by myself, in on sitting.  I found this recipe for quinoa blondies.  I always have quinoa, and I just ground what I needed in my clean spice grinder (I keep an extra coffee grinder for spices, grinding oatmeal, and now quinoa).  I ground raw quinoa in small amounts until it measured what I needed.

The original recipe called for almond butter, I had cashew butter so I used that.  You could use peanut butter or sunflower seed butter if you wanted to or if that is what you had.  These are super yummy, gluten free (if you need that), easy and I had everything on hand.  I'll be making these again soon.

Quinoa Blondies
adapted from Eating Well, April 2013

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth or crunchy natural almond butter, cashew butter, or peanut butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup quinoa flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Coat an 8 inch square baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Spray again.

Beat butter and nut butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy.  Beat in eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.  Whisk quinoa flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Mi the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spred the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it, about 25 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 45 minutes before cutting.  Let cool completely before storing.

March 11, 2013   Daylight 11 hours, 17 minutes, 57 seconds    Temp. H 23/ L -8˚F